No sleep, no sex drive

A new study has revealed young men who struggle to get enough sleep every night will find their testosterone level drop, drastically. The reason men might be concerned: testosterone levels affect more than just the libido, it also helps with building strength and muscle mass.

According to the research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, getting less than five hours sleep per night can reduce a man’s sex hormone levels by up to 15 per cent; this is equal to drop experienced as men age over a decade.

Ten males from the University of Chicago took part in the study, the first three nights of the study they slept for ten hours, then for eight nights straight they slept for five hours. Over the time of the study as the males were getting less sleep, effects of sleep deprivation on testosterone levels were immediately obvious, dropping ten to 15 per cent over the 11 days.

The study leader Eve Van Cauter commented: "Low testosterone levels are associated with reduced wellbeing and vigour, which may also occur as a consequence of sleep loss". The men in the study agreed, they reported that their mood and vigour fell more every day as the sleep restriction part of the study progressed.

These findings couldn’t come at a better time, as 15 per cent of men today get less than five hours of sleep each night. Van Cauter explains: "As research progresses, low sleep duration and poor sleep quality are increasingly recognized as endocrine disruptors."